Chapter 121: Joyful Wind
After that, the two hundred-plus miles of waterway on Embroidery River proceeded smoothly and peacefully.
When Chen Ping'an and his companions disembarked, Li Huai and Lin Shouyi both carried book chests on their backs. With Li Baoping also joining in, this journey of study with books on their backs became increasingly genuine. The result was that the straw-sandaled boy, Chen Ping'an, looked even more like a young servant from a wealthy household. If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, it would be impossible to imagine that this straw-sandaled youth was a martial artist, one who could render a military secretary beside a county magistrate of a high-ranking Great Li county completely helpless. When they disembarked, that secretary was still being carried off on a stretcher.
Before getting off the boat, Chen Ping'an had carefully studied the geographical maps. He didn't plan to pass through Wanping County Town. Instead, they would skirt around the south of the city and cut through a stretch of towering mountains and rugged ridges, which would likely require about half a month of hard travel. Chen Ping'an had asked the locals on the boat. There was a mountain path, but compared to the bluestone post road of Qi Dun Mountain, it was far more difficult to traverse. It was impassable for horse-drawn carriages, and donkeys and mules were mostly used to carry goods.
If they didn't take the mountain path, they would have to go through a prefectural city. Lin Shouyi said that he hadn't yet comprehended the method of the Pure Yang Talisman, so he couldn't let the Yin Spirit conceal its innate yin-impure aura. It would be difficult for it to enter the city openly. According to what Ah Liang had said, the City God Pavilion, the Temple of Culture and Martial Arts, and a general's mansion in the prefectural city would all have an innate rejection of the Yin Spirit. If there were any powerful cultivators stationed there, it would easily lead to unnecessary complications.
The group asked for directions as they traveled. During the journey, Chen Ping'an also cautiously questioned the local villagers—both men and women—about whether those mountains had any strange legends, or if mountain spirits might appear there. The local residents saw that the four children were all young and carrying book chests, so they took them for young scholars from wealthy families out sightseeing. They smiled and told Chen Ping'an that the mountains and rivers there didn't even have names. How could there be gods or monsters? They had never heard of any. Finally, most of them didn't forget to recommend the Embroidery River River God Temple, saying that it was very effective for drawing lots and worshipping the gods. Maybe there really was a River God. Every year, the county magistrate would lead people to make sacrifices by the river, with firecrackers going off everywhere, very lively.
It was noon when they entered the mountains. Li Huai stood at the foot of the mountain, bent at the waist, and bowed deeply three times. When he looked up and saw that Chen Ping'an wasn't doing anything, he asked curiously, "Chen Ping'an, last time at Qi Dun Mountain, you bowed, saying it was to pay respects to the mountain god. Why are you slacking off this time?"
Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then still replied, "I used to go into the mountains often with an old man. I learned a little skill for reading the mountains and eating the earth. When the old man was in a good mood, he talked about the trends of mountain ranges, and where a mountain god might place his golden statue. There's a lot of subtlety to it. Roughly speaking, whether a mountain has a mountain god sitting in charge, you can tell by carefully observing it a few times before entering. Plus, since the locals earlier said there were no such things here, I can be pretty sure that the mountain path we're about to take isn't a mountain god's territory."
Lin Shouyi's mind stirred, and he said, "The Yin Spirit senior said that a dynasty's legitimate landscape gods have limited quotas. It's impossible for every place to have a deity. Otherwise, it would become a flood of gods, making the local qi and luck a tangled mess. And the conflicts between landscape gods are similar to people fighting over farmland and water sources down in the mortal world, which would ultimately be detrimental to the dynasty. So generally speaking, if the local county gazetteer doesn't clearly record a mountain god temple, it's unlikely that a mountain god exists."
Li Huai looked disappointed. "Ah, I was hoping for a few more painted wooden figurines."
It turned out that at Qi Dun Mountain, he had unexpectedly gained a lifelike painted wooden figurine from the ordeal. Li Huai was very much looking forward to getting one at every mountain peak they passed. If that were the case, by the time they reached the Great Sui Academy, his small book chest would be full, right? As it was, his bamboo chest only contained one figurine and one book—truly too much of an empty house.
Lin Shouyi said with a mix of anger and laughter, "What face do you have to say Chen Ping'an is a money-grubber?"
Li Huai looked innocent. "I never said that. I only said Chen Ping'an is a gentleman who seeks wealth by proper means."
Lin Shouyi snorted coldly. "Sycophant!"
Li Huai was furious. "If I hadn't begged so hard, would you even have that little book chest? Lin Shouyi, have a little conscience, alright?"
Li Baoping said impatiently, "Shut up."
Whenever there was no one around, Chen Ping'an would practice his stance walking. Because he was carrying a large bamboo basket, he didn't dare move too vigorously. He restrained his strength and posture, trying to walk as slowly as possible. After all, when Ah Liang taught him the breathing method of the Eighteen Stops at Pillow Post, he had said that the word 'slow' was the true essence of the Eighteen Stops. Chen Ping'an was currently stuck between the sixth and seventh stops, unable to get past this hurdle no matter what. So he decided to use the stance walking from the Mountain-Shaking Fist Manual to train his hands.
They had been walking on the mountain path for about two hours. Li Huai was already panting heavily, and Li Baoping was the same.
Chen Ping'an knew that this was the end of what was called 'one breath.' He happened to choose a stream beside which they could rest. Lin Shouyi, as expected of someone who had already set foot on the path of immortals, was calm and composed, with only a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead—only inferior to Chen Ping'an. They each found a place to sit down. Chen Ping'an took out Li Baoping's knife from his big basket—the narrow blade that Ah Liang called 'Xiangfu.' Although Ah Liang had said 'the lowest grade' at the time, Chen Ping'an wasn't blind. He was used to using kitchen knives and wood-chopping knives, and had even borrowed Ning Yao's skirt-weight knife for a while. He knew that this knife must be extremely precious. So whenever there was no one around, he would take out that inexplicably obtained small Dragon-Slaying Platform and carefully sharpen the blade.
Pulling the knife out of its sheath, he first lightly dipped it in water from the black and shiny Dragon-Slaying Platform. Chen Ping'an crouched by the stream and began to sharpen the knife slowly. His movements were gentle, unhurried, as if he were handling the most precious and fragile tribute porcelain from the town.
Chen Ping'an liked to focus on doing one thing, especially one he could do well. (Chapter not finished, please turn the page)